XPRTNovice Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Upgraded to mod review: Alright mods, do your worst! Even if you and the judges hate it, all I did during all parts of this was laugh my ass off, so I'm happy. http://soundcloud.com/xprtnovice/not-the-taxi-you-whistled Thanks, XPRT FARMBOY: GOLD SAUCER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT4xRwi5gUU There are a couple of prelude and chocobo theme licks in there too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armhan Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Love this I only find the whistle too weak starting from 1:20, it looses "strength" (maybe a fiddle would fit that part?). Anyway good job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dissidia Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 The whistling is too quiet in the beginning and too much in the background for being a lead. How did you learn to whistle like this? I like that you put in some other fitting sauce. I hope you get some more critique. I really like the vibe of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 This is really nice! The whistling is way too quiet though, the whole mix could benefit from being louder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPRTNovice Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 Thanks for the praise guys! I haven't quite understood how to get mic levels, which almost always break up, to get to the levels that are pleasant to hear. The whistling needs to come out. I'm glad you all liked it so much - I was being a little conservative and I think I'm going to spice it up a bit in later versions. Looking forward to some expertise thrown my way on how to make this something that the judges will slap their thighs to... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiesty Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 man i love this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPRTNovice Posted March 8, 2012 Author Share Posted March 8, 2012 Thanks Wiesty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armhan Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Since I commented this thread I listened to your track several times, I really like it! Please, make the definitive version Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calum Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 This is pretty awesome. Could do with some drum brushes on a snare and a little kick as well BUUUT unless you can get that live maybe it'd ruin the mood. I felt the inclusion of golden saucer was nice buut went on a little too long without allusion to farm boy. It was just like here's farm boy and here's golden saucer, i would have liked to see the two intertwined OR have golden saucer as just a little bridge section and then return to farm boy. AH OK, now here's chocobo theme! I say if you're gonna make this a medley, make it a lot more even, farmboy dominates the beginning too much. This has great charm and you are a whistling god! I think the plucky dobro instrument sounded very robotic and a little out of time with the acoustic guitar. You could try double tracking the acoustic guitar L and R (seeing as it's kinda improvisatory and strummy this might sound a mess but if done well it would sound awesome) and just generally boost levels. Real cool so far though, I look forward to new versions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPRTNovice Posted March 8, 2012 Author Share Posted March 8, 2012 Hey Calum, that's great feedback, thanks. We'll see how this one goes. I think the plucky dobro instrument sounded very robotic and a little out of time with the acoustic guitar. When you say dobro, do you mean the mandolin? The dobro only comes in during the golden saucer and is playing the melody. the mandolin is the "choppy" instrument that is playing throughout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docnano Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Wow, wasn't expecting that tempo change . This kicks some serious butt. Well, the first 2/3 of it does. I really love how you're confident enough with all these instruments to pull something like this off, and quite well. And LOVELY vibrato on that whistle. I think your performances are safely within the realm of human charm without descending into slop. The arrangement is terrific for the most part, as well. My main gripes with the current version are with the Golden Saucer and Chocobo sections. First, the combination of the synth dobro (?) with the accordion for Golden Saucer isn't working for me -- maybe bring the accordion down a touch, or have it play a countermelody instead of the main melody. A real dobro would sound awesome here, but in absence of that, why not use your guitar? Also the transitions between themes are a bit jarring to me, more like a shameless medley. I'd cut one of the two additional themes out, or find a way of tying them more closely to the main theme via chord progressions or backing rhythmic motifs. Regarding the fiddle part, you could always hit up some of the violinists on OCR. I know of Chris Woo (Amaterasu) and Gabe Terracciano. I've heard worse samples in accepted mixes, but a live one would be waay better. Oh, and great way to end it. I really hope you submit this when it's done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPRTNovice Posted March 9, 2012 Author Share Posted March 9, 2012 My main gripes with the current version are with the Golden Saucer and Chocobo sections. ...the transitions between themes are a bit jarring to me, more like a shameless medley. I'd cut one of the two additional themes out, or find a way of tying them more closely to the main theme via chord progressions or backing rhythmic motifs. This is my main problem with the arrangement as well. I got a little giddy once I heard the playback for the first section and just started adding stuff. I was trying to avoid shameless medley, but that's what I ended up with. Since they all revolve around the same general bluegrass chord progressions, I might see if I can blend the other two themes back into Farmboy, but I risk being overly repetitive. Thanks for the feedback doc, that's good stuff. How does the guitar sound? I'm not using really high end stuff so I was worried the live instruments don't have the quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean Of mArc Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 This mix is awesome fun! Farmboy is one of the tunes from FFVII that I whistle or hum a lot, and this actually took it to a whole new level. I particularly love the slower, laid back pace of the first section, but the following sections are equally fun in their hoe-down style. I do like the addition of Golden Saucer and Chocobo, though as others have said it does kind of take you off-guard while listening. The whistling work in this is just great! You've obviously got some "mad whizzlin' skillz", which is rare in game mixes for sure. I would agree with you that the fiddle soundfont is pretty unreal-sounding, compared to everything else. Also, the melody could stand to be a tad louder. Either way, well done, this is definitely making it into my music library when it's finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPRTNovice Posted March 9, 2012 Author Share Posted March 9, 2012 Well, I have to say I'm totally in love with my own Gold Saucer section, but the Chocobo section is starting to bore me. I think I am going to find a way to bridge up the middle section so it's a smashup of Farmboy and the Saucer theme, and smooth out the transitions. I did like the idea of having a wailing fiddle solo in there, and Fiddle de Chocobo begs for a bluegrass arrangement, but I think it might just have to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPRTNovice Posted March 10, 2012 Author Share Posted March 10, 2012 I did some work on this over the past few days. Here are some things that I've changed: - Eliminated Fiddle de Chocobo - Blended transitions between themes - Added some guitar ornamentation (FF Prelude in the middle of the Saucer theme, too) - Re-recorded guitar/mando parts using different micing for clearer sound - Adjusted levels and gain to try to make it not so quiet - Some improved whistling ornamentation - Added a bass to the opening slow section I'd love some feedback - especially from those that called me out on my transitions. Here's the new link: http://soundcloud.com/xprtnovice/farmboy-v2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean Of mArc Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Hey man, PMing previous reviewers to get more feedback on a new version; very clever. I'll have to do that sometime. Again, great work here. I really don't know anyone who wouldn't like this, for one reason or another. It's tons of fun. The string playing is energetic and lively, perfect for this kind of arrangement. I think your new section is quite creative, mixing the two themes together. It's less "medley-itis" than it was before, so good work on that! Having the guitar lead with a mixture of the Farmboy/Saucer mix sounds great. Good call! I'm still very impressed by your whistling skills... I tried whistling along, and got stuck on certain high pitches, and that vibrato you use. Here are some improvements you could make: - The whistling still sounds kind of distant and quiet compared to everything else. There are two things attributing to this: the reverb and the volume. Less reverb would make the lead sound "closer", but might not sound as good. Volume correcting is obvious. Currently, the guitar is louder than the lead, which most times shouldn't be the case. - The bass that you added probably is good, but it's hard to tell because it's hard to hear it. This is less of a volume problem, and more about the frequencies of the bass and guitar (and potentially other instruments) getting all tangled up. A little EQ on the guitar to remove or lessen its bass frequencies (when the bass starts up) should separate them more and yield a better sound. - There are moments in which the rhythm of the various stringed instruments don't line up together. I could go through and point some of them out if you request it, but if you can find them, try cutting and time shifting things so that the instruments line up in certain places, and/or re-record that particular section. - The sound that you use for the "second" half of the Golden Saucer melody doesn't make sense to me for the style: everything else is acoustic, and yet that sound is clearly not a real instrument, and isn't a part of the set of instruments used for this kind of music... Instead, I would recommend either continuing with your guitar lead by continuing to mix the two songs together, or even doing some dee-dum-daa singing for that part. I think you have a bit of singing earlier in the mix as background (or it sounded like singing anyway), and it worked great, so having generic syllables to sing the Golden Saucer part would probably fit quite well. The current instrument just really feels out of place, I think. I think this could really become a great mix. When OCReMix first began, djpretzel did a fun "Hillbilly" remix of Bubble Bobble, and I still remember it fondly to this day. There has never been an adequate follow-up in that style, but this mix could change all that. Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calum Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Jean Of mArc said it all. Completely agree with all of that. This is a fun mix but there are a few things that stop it from becoming SERIOUS fun! I think the gold saucer theme was better, it snuck up on us! I can't really decide whether i think it should be completely left out. I like it. The lead kinda sucks when it comes in proper. I would say definitely give one of the violinists here a PM - that could lead to something really special - get one of them to play the lead on gold saucer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPRTNovice Posted March 11, 2012 Author Share Posted March 11, 2012 Thanks guys, that's good stuff. Jean, the dobro (the instrument you were commenting about in the Gold Saucer section) is definitely a bluegrass instrument, but the sound font doesn't do it justice. I'm going to try a take with the mandolin, with maybe those synthetic instruments softly backing it up in the background, and see if it sounds any better. Today is Mando day. The whole mandolin track needs a reset, and I aim to give it one. It's less of a pain in the ass to just lay it down again than it is to go about time stretching and all that. I just need to make sure I can hear my metronome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPRTNovice Posted March 11, 2012 Author Share Posted March 11, 2012 Had a good mando day Several updates on the same file, I think it's staring to come together. I still have some level issues... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPRTNovice Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 Balancing, leveling, EQing, and timing fixed. And the title is better, I think http://soundcloud.com/xprtnovice/not-the-taxi-you-whistled-for You guys think this is ready for the judges yet, or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiesty Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Hey man sounding really good, definitley some great ideas at work here. I'm having a bit of a problem with the introduction of the new themes such as when the gold saucer theme comes in. There just seems to be a lack of transition, and the ideas get presented kind of abruptly. I think if you can smoothen those out somehow it would definitley make your song have a little more contrast overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean Of mArc Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Hey Xpert, Your mix is definitely coming along, but I would say it's not quite ready for mod-time yet, and here's why: - Maybe it's just my speakers, but I still feel like the whistling is too quiet and distant... the guitar still seems a lot louder to me, but if others don't agree then it must just be me. - The separation between the bass and other stringed instruments is definitely improved, but could still use a tad more separation. - There are still moments where things don't line up rhythmically, but those moments are much fewer than they used to be. I'll try and point them out in soundcloud. As for the medley sound, I think you've improved it. Did you double it? Anyway, it sounds better than I remember it from before. I personally didn't find the transition to be that shocking, but maybe it's because I'm used to it by now? I think the reason that people are having trouble with the transition is because: - It's the first time it shows up in the piece. - It's the first usage of that dobro you were talking about. - It's the first time an instrument with such a bright sound is played in the whole piece. My theory is that if the listener is more familiar with these aspects, the transition won't seem so sudden. So either: - Use the dobro earlier for the "main" melody. - Don't use the dobro at all, but use instruments that you've used before for the Golden Saucer melody. - Use other "bright" sounds for the more familiar parts before using it for the Golden Saucer. Other than that, I have nothing new to add. I'll go through your soundcloud and point out areas of rhythmic problems. I think you're about 85% of the way to a mod review, so I'd like to work together to make this work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean Of mArc Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 A few more comments: Going through soundcloud now... I seem to have a comment limit or something, as it isn't letting me post any more. I will remove some and post them here instead: - In the transition between the slow part and the fast part, I think you could afford an extra second or two to let the first part "end" before the upbeat part kicks in. - I love the whistling effect you do at 1:30! - I REALLY like the background singing you do at one point. I really wish there were more of it. (Hint?) - You've got some funky guitar riffs at 2:00, which sound really great as a variation! - When the guitar comes in and takes the lead, the whistling seems to just kind of die out... It almost feels like it just doesn't want to let go, but isn't really "there" either. Also, the solo may be a tad loud, but that's better than too soft. - Hey, I think I hear some singing now during the Golden Saucer theme! It would be good to bring that up more! - Wow, I never noticed this before, but at 3:10 you bring in the "prelude" theme... it actually works REALLY well there, because it doesn't feel like a "medley" at all; it feels quite natural. COOL! - Great riff at the ending, by the way, with the final whistle at the end. - Check out soundcloud for the rest of my comments. I forgot to mention this, but I played this tune for my wife and she LOVED it! Even as I was playing it to try and find the rhythm problems she couldn't stop whistling along. I think this will be a hit with a lot of people once it's done and ready! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPRTNovice Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 Wow, Jean, you went at that like a f@#kin' surgeon! Thanks! Those are all really helpful things. I think this could benefit from another version of most of the tracks once I make my room's acoustics a bit better. Then I can pull the right freqs out with the eq and avoid the background hiss. Thanks again man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean Of mArc Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Wow, Jean, you went at that like a f@#kin' surgeon! Thanks! Those are all really helpful things. I think this could benefit from another version of most of the tracks once I make my room's acoustics a bit better. Then I can pull the right freqs out with the eq and avoid the background hiss. Thanks again man! You're most welcome! I really like to be as in-depth as I can be, but usually don't have enough time to do that. Maybe if it were my job haha! I look forward to your next version! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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